Backbencher

The 25 April 1915 is a very detailed and analytical study of the Australians and New Zealanders as they prepared and went off to war. He reinforces the sense of being naïve and eager of battle using the letters and diaries from Egypt. He describes the independence that the Australians exhibited in Egypt, by saluting officers that they liked and following orders as they saw fit. During one exercise, a group of Australians were to be the headquaters, symbolized with a red flag. Their orders were to be in a safe place. So the set up their HQ in the company mess, several miles from the training area. They were given a stern repremaind but the officers saw the irony of the situation and let them off with a warning.

This time of carefree joy lasted on the boats to Gallipoli. The men were eager to fight but the reality of war soon shattered that. Denis Winter than has an aside discussing, were the landings futile? Was ANZAC Cove the right place? In this section he discusses the landing area and the three alternate plans that the army did not use. And finally he discusses the difficulty in reading documentation from the Great War and how many things seem to contrdict one another. Then he returns to the story of the ANZACs.

Thei objective was to capture several ridges, but the attack bogged down on the second ridge, before the third and final Gun ridge. This would be the sceen of battle for the next several months. The letters home now are of dispair and tragedy. The hope and carefree attitude is gone. The New Zealanders seem more crushed than their Australian counterparts.

Denis Winter is known by Australian historians for his works in ANZAC history. I think what is appealing about his book is that it reads like a story. The use of quotations from diggers' letters and diaries really make the book come alive. Instead of a nameless face, there is a human being inside of that uniform.

The book is not in chrnological order by discussed by place and group. For instance there is an introduction to ANZAC Cove then a chapter on soliders and the next on commanders. He makes a distinction among the soldiers. His interjections in the middle of the book also help put a new perspective on the Gallipoli campaign. This book would be great for the casual reader and professional historian alike.